Preparation

For sauce:

Bring cream, milk, and ginger to simmer in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove pan from heat; steep 15 minutes. Whisk yolks and sugar in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in warm cream mixture; return mixture to saucepan. Stir over medium heat until custard thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 8 minutes; do not boil. Strain sauce into medium bowl; mix in vanilla. Cover; chill until cold, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.

For filling:

Whisk 1 cup sugar, cornstarch, and mace to blend in small bowl. Whisk cookie crumbs and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in another small bowl to blend. Set both mixtures aside.

Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place 1 phyllo sheet on work surface (keep remaining phyllo covered with damp towel). Brush phyllo with melted butter. Top with second phyllo sheet; brush with butter and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon gingersnap crumb mixture. Repeat with 5 more phyllo sheets, butter and crumb mixture. Top with phyllo (8 sheets total); brush with butter. Starting 2 inches in from 1 long side and 21/2 inches in from 1 short side, spoon half of filling in 3-inch-wide by 12-inch-long log parallel to long side. Fold short sides over ends of filling; butter folded edges. Fold nearest long side of phyllo over filling and roll up strudel, enclosing filling. Transfer strudel to prepared sheet, seam side down. Brush with butter. Repeat with remaining ingredients to make second strudel. Place on same sheet, spacing 3 inches from first strudel. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with plastic and refrigerate.)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake strudels until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cut each on diagonal into 6 slices and serve warm or at room temperature with cold ginger sauce.

SELECT LATEST REVIEWS

My family has made this every year since the first time I made it. It has become a tradition to have my son (now 22) and one of his cousins or a friend who wants to learn how to make it come over and work on it together. It is fun to watch them meticulously spread the butter over every inch of phyllo and then sprinkle the crumbs over. They have their technique down after all these years. It takes time but is sooooo worth it!
I love that you can make it a couple of days ahead and then put it in the oven while eating dinner to have it hot out of the oven with the cold custard sauce. Divine!

Tess_Rossow from Portland, OR / 11.22.13

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I've made this five times and it's a HUGE hit. Worth the work, and I've found I need to use maybe 4-5 more sheets of phyllo dough than the recipe calls for or the filling breaks through when I try to flip the strudel over before baking. Also don't bother straining the ginger out of the sauce, people like
the chewy bits. I love making this!!

robynin from Fair Lawn, NJ / 10.01.09

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This is the recipe that friends and family request when they visit. It's labor intensive, but the results are well worth the work.

A Cook from Auburn, Alabama / 12.30.02

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I made this for Thanksgiving and it was a real hit. While the recipe is more labor-intensive than complicated, if that makes any sense. In other words, the steps to make it weren't hard, they just took awhile. The two sticks of butter to brush the fillo and the cookie and sugar mixture were way too much. You could probably halve it and still have enough for both strudels. There are a lot of good dessert recipes out there so I don't know if I'd really make this again, but it was impressive.